Richard Viguerie: American Lives Needlessly Lost Over Bergdahl

President Barack Obama broke the law in his decision to swap U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five top Taliban operatives without informing Congress, conservative activist Richard Viguerie tells Newsmax TV.

It was announced Wednesday that Bergdahl will be charged with desertion and misbehavior before the enemy after he left his post in 2009 and was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Bergdahl was released in 2014 as part of a swap for five Taliban combatants held at Guantanamo Bay.

In addition, several U.S. soldiers reportedly died trying to rescue Bergdahl.

"If they knew that he was a deserter, they should not have risked the lives of these soldiers over there to try to rescue him," Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ, told J.D. Hayworth and Miranda Khan on "America's Forum" on Thursday.

"Deserters are traditionally in combat situations executed," he explained.

"We should not have risked one American life to retrieve him, and we certainly should not have sent five serious enemy combatants back to kill more Americans," he said.

"It was a serious mistake and hopefully the Democrats and the Obama administration will have an answer for that," he added.

In addition, Viguerie says that "there was too much evidence" from "his own colleagues, his own fellow soldiers [who] knew that he was a deserter.

"Obama broke the law by not informing Congress," he added. "And the Republicans should make this a major issue."

President Barack Obama broke the law in his decision to swap U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl for five top Taliban operatives without informing Congress, conservative activist Richard Viguerie tells Newsmax TV.